Old Friends
by amyxaphania
Summary: Rose bumps into an old friend. Set after School Reunion.


**A/N: When I started writing this I knew I wanted it to feature a meeting between Rose and her old friend Shareen. What I ended up with wasn't exactly what I expected to come out with, though. This is set after School Reunion.**

**Old Friends**

"And then, just as we're about to get out of there, he goes and _licks_ the guard's shoe! I mean, I know he has a bit of an oral fixation, always licking things he is, but the guard's shoe just as we're about to escape? Honestly!"

Rose dissolved into giggles as she finished her story, and Mickey laughed, though it sounded a bit forced.

"When you say 'oral fixation', you mean he-"

"Likes licking things, yeah." Rose grinned. She always enjoyed telling Mickey about her travels, because he was one of the only ones she could tell.

"Right," Mickey nodded, and looked like he was going to say something else, when the Doctor arrived back at the table, a tray of burgers and chips in hand.

"Talking about me?" he said, as he sprinkled salt liberally on his portion, "Understandable, of course. I _am_ pretty wonderful."

Mickey rolled his eyes, and speared four or five chips onto his fork, biting into them savagely.

"Where are we off to next then, Doctor?" Rose asked, before giving Mickey a pointed look that seemed to say 'be nice'.

"Ohh, I dunno. We never did get around to going to Barcelona. How about that?"

Rose smiled, and was about to reply when a voice from behind interrupted.

"Barcelona! Rose Tyler, you lucky cow!"

Rose span around in her seat, and her face broke into a wide grin as she saw who was standing behind her.

"Shareen! Oh my god!"

She was thin, and dark haired, and looked every bit as excited to see Rose as Rose was to see her.

"Where've you been?" Shareen asked, peering curiously at the Doctor, before seating herself at their table, "your Mum's always saying you're off travelling, but she'll never tell me where. Barcelona though? You've done all right for yourself, Rose Tyler!"

Rose grinned to herself, thinking about all of the places she had been to – the end of the world, New Earth, the nineteenth century – if she told Shareen the truth she'd be carted off to the authorities.

"Well?" Shareen prodded Rose in the side and looked pointedly at the Doctor, who had been watching proceedings as he ate his chips, "are you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, right," Rose said, shaking her head and wondering why Mickey was looking so angry, "Shareen, this is the Doctor. Doctor, this is my mate, Shareen."

"Pleased to meet you, Shareen," the Doctor held out his hand, which Shareen took tentatively.

"The Doctor? Doctor who?"

"Oh, that doesn't matter, does it? Just call me the Doctor. And I presume you know Mickey?"

"Oh yes," Mickey interrupted, "she knows me all right. Was round my flat practically every day in that year you were off in the…elsewhere. Thought I'd killed Rose, didn't she?"

He glared at Shareen, and then threw his fork down on the table. "Look, I can't stay here with someone who thought I was a murderer. I'll be waiting by the…by the box, like the good old tin dog that I am."

Rose was shocked. She'd known that people on the estate thought she'd been murdered, and she'd known that Mickey had been accused, but he'd never reacted that strongly before.

She raised her eyebrows at Shareen. "What was all that about?"

"Oh…well it's like he says, really," she looked sheepish, "I went round his flat nearly every day to try and get him to tell me the truth. But I was worried about you Rose! You were my best friend and then one day you just…vanished. What were we supposed to think?"

"That was actually my fault," the Doctor put in, "I met Rose and couldn't resist whisking her off to travel the world." He grinned disarmingly. "We stayed away longer than we expected, that's all."

Shareen leaned back in her chair, and studied the Doctor.

"You've landed on your feet with this one," she said, and though her comment was directed at Rose, she kept her eyes on the man sitting on the other side of the table. "I can see why you ran off with him."

"Oh, it wasn't…it's not like that," Rose struggled to find the right words, annoyed with herself for blushing and hating the Doctor for his inane smile.

"So you're not together then?" Shareen pressed, finally finished with her appraisal of the Doctor and turning towards Rose.

"No! Nothing like that, not at all." She shook her head to emphasize the point, then folded her arms across her chest, determinedly looking anywhere but at the Doctor.

"Cos you know, you don't just run off for two years with just anyone, right?"

"We're just friends," Rose insisted, knowing that her cheeks were radiating enough heat to fry an egg, "friends who travel together."

"Sure it's not friends with benefits?" Shareen winked, "Mickey looked dead jealous."

"Shareen!" Rose was appalled, and more embarrassed than she'd ever been in the presence of the Doctor. Shareen was talking as though he wasn't there, but when Rose glanced across at him, it didn't look as though he minded for there was an amused gleam in his eyes.

"So you're off to Barcelona now?"

"Oh, um, maybe. We haven't decided yet."

"I've always wanted to go there. Hey, I don't suppose I could tag along?"

"Erm…" Rose trailed off, her mind blank as she tried to think of a good excuse. It wasn't as though she could simply say, 'Of course you can! Come and get into this blue box – it's called a TARDIS, and you'll never believe this – it's alive! _And_ it can travel in time and space!'

Fortunately, the Doctor stepped in.

"Better not," he said jovially, "Mickey's coming with us this time and I'm not sure it'd be a good idea to have both of you along."

"Oh," Shareen looked disappointed, but then smiled, "Jez wouldn't have given me time off anyway."

"Maybe next time, yeah?" Rose said, not wanting her friend to think she didn't want her with them.

"Maybe," Shareen replied, then glanced at the Doctor, "although maybe you and him won't want me along, if you know what I mean."

"Oh shush," Rose blushed again, "it's not like that, I swear."

"All right, all right, whatever you say." She glanced at the clock on the wall of the café and grimaced. "I've got to go. Jez said he wanted me back by two. Look, I'll give you a ring, okay?"

Rose nodded, feeling slightly tearful as she hugged her old friend goodbye, berating herself for how easily she let her emotions overcome her. It wasn't as though she was never going to see Shareen again.

"Bye then," Shareen said, and Rose grinned, as she was pulled into a hug once more, and felt a rush of whispered words in her ear. "You might say it's nothing, Rose Tyler, but I know you, and I know the way you're looking at him."

Rose pulled away and smiled faintly. Shareen nodded almost imperceptibly and then left the café.

"She was nice," the Doctor said after a few moments silence, "a bit talkative though, I couldn't get a word in edgeways."

Rose gaped at him. "You're complaining about someone being talkative?"

"And what's so wrong with that?"

"Pot? Kettle?"

The Doctor frowned, and Rose shook her head, laughing, as Shareen's last whispered comment reverberated in her mind.

_For once_, Rose decided, _for once in her life, it looks like Shareen might have been right._


End file.
